Vehicle-top.



S. RANLEY & J. A. SGHIRAGK. VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 1, 1909. 968,1 93, Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. RANLEY 6.: J. A. SGHIRAGK.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLIOATION FILED Dn0.1, 190s.

- Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

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IUNITED STATES N'Parleur onnicr..

SEBASTIAN RANLEY .AND JOHN A. SCHIRACH, OF ST. HENRY, OHIO.

VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 1, 1909.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Serial No. 530,713.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SEBASTLAN RANLEY and J. A. SCHIRACK, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Henry, in the county of Mercer and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to vehicle tops of the class that may be used during rain storms and which may be removed from a vehicle body during fair weather.

An important object of our invention is to provide an improved storm top of the above mentioned character, embodying a door having a folding section pivotally mounted thereon, means for swinging said door upwardly to avoid the wheel when opening the door, said means also serving as automatic means for returning the door to its closed position.

The final object of our invention is to provide a device of the above character which may be installed upon an ordinary buggy without materially altering the same, and which is simple in construction, durable, and cheap to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists generally in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate `like parts throughout the same, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our device installed upon a road vehicle. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the door removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the storm front showing the window of the same closed. Fig. 5'is a similar view of the storm front, showing the window partly open.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention, as illustrated in the drawings, 1 designates the body of a buggy upon which are arranged side pieces 2 for supporting a seat 3. Upon the seat 3 is arranged the outwardly spreading seat sides 4, to which are suitably connected the vertically disposed side tops 5, each of which is provided with a sight-opening covered by a section of glass 6. Upon the side tops 5 is arranged a top 7, which is laterally co-extensive with the sides 5 and tapers forwardly of said sides 5. The top 7 terminates in a vertical plane forwardly of the body 1. The numeral 8 designates a storm front having a centrally arranged opening 9 within which is pivotally mounted a window 10 provided with a section of glass 11. The window 10 is connected to the storm front 8 by means of suitable hinges 11', which are arranged upon the upper edge of said window. The storm front 8 has its upper body portion of substantially the same width as the reduced forward end of the top 7, and is secured to the top in any suitable manner. The top 7 extends forwardly beyond the storm front 8, to prevent the rain from beating against the junction of thestorm front and the top 7. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the storm front 8 has its lower portion provided with inwardly sloping sides 12, which r duce the width of the lower end of the storm front to substantially the same width as the body 1. The lower end of the storm front is arranged upon the forward end of the body l and fits over the dash board. The body 1 is provided adjacent the forward end of the supporting pieces 2, and upon each side of said body 1 with an angularly arranged section of material 13, having a sloping forward edge 14. The storm front 8 is provided at its lower end and upon each side thereof with an angularly arranged section of material 15, having a sloping side 16. From the construction so far described, it is obvious that the buggy is entirely covered, except that there are two like door openings.

Each of the door openings above referred to is closed by a door comprising a rectangular iiat body portion 17, which is pivotally connected to the side tops 5 by means of hinges 18. The body portion 17 of the door is provided centrally thereof with a sight-opening spanned by a section of glass 19. The body portion 17, in its closed position is angularly arranged to engage the storm front 8, which is narrower than the width between the two side tops 5. The lower end of the body portion 17 is provided with an angularly disposed substantially triangular section of material 20, which is rigidly secured to the door and adapted to lit snugly against the strip 13, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Upon the inclined edge 21 of the triangular section 20, is pivotally mounted by means of the hinges 22, a substantially triangular auxiliary section of material 23.. The section 23 is hinged to the section 2O in such a manner that the same is free to be swung inwardly when the door is opened, but is not adapted to be swung outwardly. When the body portion 17 of the door is closed, the section 23 is angularly disposed and snugly fits upon the upper edge of the body 1 and against the sloping edge 16 of the strips 15. By this construction, it is obvious that the driver will be completely housed within the buggy and accordingly be protected from the elements. It is obvious by reference to Fig. 1 that when the door comprising the body portion 17 is opened, that the section 23 would naturally strike against the forward wheel of the vehicle, and to overcome this disadvantage there is provided a retractile coil spring 24, which is connected to the inner side of the section 23 as at 25, and said coil spring 21 is further connected to the side top 5, as at 26. It is thus obvious that when the body portion 17 of the door is swung outwardly, the coil spring 24, will accordingly raise the section 23, whereby the saine will be made to clear the forward wheel of the vehicle. By the employment of the coil spring, the section 28 is begun to be raised the instant the door is opened, and said door will be returned to its closed position by the spring 241, and the section 23 gradually lowered by gravity until the same assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 1. It is obvious by this construction, that I provide a door which is neat in appearance, simple in construction and which works automatically.

The window 10 above referred to, is connected to the storni front 8 by means of the hinges 11', in such a manner that the same may be swung inwardly but is prevented from being swung outwardly. The lower edge of the window 10 is rounded, as at 27, and is seated upon a normally inclined movscenes able plate 28, which is pivotally mounted to swing in a vertical plane. The plate 28 is provided with an upstanding strip 29 which may be preferably formed into integral therewith, and which engages the inner side of the lower edge of the window 10. An operating lever 30 is rigidly connected to the plate 28 and serves as a means whereby the same may be swung upon its pivots. By this construction, the operator may swing the window inwardly by depressing the operating lever 30, as illustrated in Fig. 5. After the window 10 has been thus initially moved, the same may be conveniently grasped by the operator and raised to a desired position.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

The combination with the body of a vehicle, of a storm front suitably secured upon said body and provided with an opening, a window arranged within said opening and hinged at its upper end to said storm front to swing inwardly in a substantially vertical plane, a flat plate disposed below and in engagement with said window, said Hat plate being pivoted at a point inwardly of the window to swing in a substantially vertical plane, said lat plate when in its horizontal position serving to hold the window in its closed position and having its upper side beveled to conduct water away from the window, and a handle connected with said flat plate to oscillate the same upwardly for opening said window.

In testimony whereof we aliix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

SEBASTIAN RANLEY. JOHN A. SCHIRACK.

Witnesses GEORGE BosKEN, GERHARD SEUGERS. 

